Umar Akmal Clarifies Post Comparing With Babar Azam, Says 'He Is Not A Natural Middle-Order Batter In T20'

Islamabad, February 27: Pakistan cricketer Umar Akmal on Friday issued clarification over his post taking dig at Pakistan star batsman Babar Azam. He said that he was not comparing himself with Babar Azam but making a point about role suitability. He said that Babar Azam is currently one of the top batters in the world and he has great respect for his achievements.

Takes Dig At Babar

Umar Akmal shared a post on his Instagram Story in which he compared his 94 runs innings against Australia from ICC T20 World Cup 2014 with Babar Azam's 25 runs innings against England in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.

He took a dig at Babar Azam showing that he came out to bat when the team was reeling with two early wickets down, just like Babar came in the game against England. He showed that his knock of 94 runs helped the team to a 16-runs victory over Australia, however, Babar Azam could not pull off the team from the ruins.

Akmal Issues Clarification

Umar Akmal has shared a social media post and issued clarification over the comparison and said, "I want to clarify that my aim was never to compare myself with Babar Azam. He is currently one of the top batters in the world, and I have great respect for his achievements."

Not A Middle-order Batter

He also said, "My intention was only to highlight that he is not naturally a middle-order batter in T20 cricket, as that position doesn’t fully suit his batting style. There was no comparison — just a point about role suitability in the format. It was just a fan repost and was not deliberately edited in any way."

Pakistan In T20 World Cup

Pakistan Cricket Team is facing criticism from the fans due to their poor performance in the current ICC T20 World Cup 2026. The team is struggling to qualify for the semi-finals due to which the senior players in the side are being targeted by the fans on social media.

Former Players Slam Seniors

Former players like, Mohammad Amir, Rashid Latif, Saqlain Mushtaq and Shoaib Akhtar are questioning the role of senior cricketers like, Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and Shadab Khan, in major leagues or ICC events. The team has been performing miserably with these players in the side for the past few years in major tournaments.